


Brighter Than Sunlight

by misura



Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: Multi, Oblivious, Post-Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-24 20:36:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17107700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: "There's no mission," Ethan says. "We're here for a vacation.""Yeah, but, like, avacationtype of vacation, right?"





	Brighter Than Sunlight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Squishy_TRex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squishy_TRex/gifts).



Benji knows what time it is when Ethan shows up on his doorstep and tells him to pack a bag for someplace sunny. Time to get back on the horse. Time to put his game face on.

Time to stop worrying about what almost happened or might have happened.

He doesn't bother asking where they're going. Benji figures that if Ethan wants him to know, Ethan will tell him, and if all Ethan tells him is not to forget sunscreen and swimming trunks, then into the bag they go.

 

Ilsa's waiting for them on the plane (which is to say: _inside_ the plane), which is fine. Benji quite likes Ilsa. Handy woman to have around when you need someone to save your life. Technically, Benji supposes they've sort of saved each other's lives, maybe, but then, he's pretty sure that if he hadn't shown up, Ilsa would have managed on her own somehow just fine, so.

"Benji," she says. If Benji thinks she sounds like she's been sleeping poorly, that's probably just his imagination.

"Please tell me you packed your swimsuit," Benji says, because a little payback's fine, a little payback's _perfect_ , but he'd feel a lot better knowing there's two people out there ready to jump in right after him if things go wrong.

"Bikini," Ethan says, before Ilsa can explain that Benji's a big boy and should be able to handle a bit of underwater swimming when the job calls for it.

Ilsa gives him a look.

Ethan grins back at her, and Benji thinks, _oh, right_ , because it's not like he hasn't seen this coming or anything. It's not like he feels _left out_. That'd be something, wouldn't it? Rather silly, really, for Benji to feel like he has any right to - like either of them would ever - when they could -

"Sunscreen too, I hope?" Benji asks, trying to sound cool and casual.

 

"It's a vacation," Ethan says.

They've checked into a very nice hotel using very fake names. Benji's spent his first night exploring the hotel bar and deciding all the other guests he's met so far seem dead boring.

Of course, a really good terrorist would be perfectly able to fake being a tourist. Look at Benji himself. He's come up with a nice, boring story about who he is and what he's doing here, all ready to go the moment anyone asks. (They haven't yet. Still, best to be prepared.)

"I know it's a vacation," Benji says. "Know how I know? You told me. Repeatedly." As if Benji might forget without Ethan reminding him about their cover.

Benji's knows all about the IMF sending agents on a well-deserved, all-expenses-paid 'vacation'. He's not _stupid_ , all right? He's a bit shook up, sure, who wouldn't be, but his brains are working fine.

Benji only wishes Ethan would go ahead and brief him already.

"A real vacation, Benji," Ilsa says. Ilsa looks extremely attractive in a bikini. Ethan's a lucky man, not that that's anything new, or that Ethan doesn't deserve it. Benji's happy for him, really he is.

And he's happy for Ilsa, too, obviously. Guy like Ethan - well, Benji bets he's just fantastic in the sack, not that Benji's been having any wildly inappropriate fantasies or anything.

"That's not my name," Benji says. He throws in a chuckle, to let her know he knows what she's doing. "Nice try, but nope. Jim's the name, although good friends call me Jimmy."

Ilsa smiles at him. Benji decides he's plenty of lucky guy himself. Who needs sex, anyway?

"Jimmy," Ethan says. Benji likes the way Ethan's already picked up on the nuances of Benji's cover story and just runs with it. "We're here on a vacation."

"I know we're here on a vacation," Benji says. "Listen, do we have to keep going over this? We're tourists. We're on a vacation. We're here to lie on the beach and get drunk and have fun. I get it."

Ethan gives him a look. Benji tries to hold it, stare straight back, but then Ethan's gaze flickers to Benji's neck. The bruises are pretty much gone, really. The memories will probably stay with him for the rest of his life, but then, that's what it means to be a field agent. It's not all fun and games.

"Don't - " Benji's fine. That's what counts, isn't it?

"I promised," Ethan says. "I told you, over and over again that I would never let anything happen to you."

Ilsa stands up abruptly.

Benji holds out a hand, trying to think of a way to say 'look, it's just Ethan being Ethan - there's nothing for you to worry about, it's not like he's interested in me that way' without putting it quite that bluntly (or, to be fair, without admitting out loud just how hopeless this little crush of his is, really, it's pathetic).

"Benji." Ethan takes his hand and kisses it, like they are - like he is - "I'm so sorry."

"Am I getting fired?" Benji supposes it's possible. He doesn't think he did _that_ poorly, but then, maybe someone's been listening in on his nightmares and decided he's no longer fit for duty. "Is there someone I can talk to about that?"

"He doesn't understand," Ilsa says. "Perhaps you should try using actual words."

"I understand," Benji says quickly. He realizes he's forgotten Ethan's fake identity, which is bad. Still, a good field agent knows how to cover for his mistakes. "I mean, why wouldn't I understand? I'm not an idiot, am I? And, I mean, what's there to understand, anyway?"

Ilsa has moved to some position behind him. Once upon a time, that might have made Benji a little nervous. Getting a taser to the back will do that to a man.

Considering recent events though, Benji reckons he's good with having Ilsa where he can't see her.

"There's no mission," Ethan says. "We're here for a vacation."

"Yeah, but, like, a _vacation_ type of vacation, right?" Benji realizes that Ethan's used his real name a while ago, and that Benji hasn't called him on it. If he's here to be evaluated, that's going to cost him some points. Still, too late to do something about it now. He's simply going to have to be more vigilant.

Ethan opens his mouth and closes it again, his expression a touch frustrated.

Ilsa chuckles softly. Very softly. The fact that Benji hears her just fine means that she's standing _really_ close.

Probably not close enough to feel her breath on his ear, though. That's only Benji's imagination playing silly buggers again, like when he thought Ethan was kissing his hand when in reality, Ethan just ... kissed his hand. In a platonic, strictly-as-friends sort of way.

"Wrong," Ethan says, and before Benji can figure out what that means (of course they're here on a _vacation_ , but maybe Ethan thought Benji thought they were here on a vacation) he leans forward over the table and - all right, that's some very friendly kissing right there.

Benji tries not to think that it's maybe a bit too friendly. It's some damn fine kissing, is what, and Benji should sit back and enjoy it instead of feeling sorry for himself because 'friendly' is all it is.

"Why don't we take this back to our room, hm?" Ilsa murmurs. "Unless you want to make even more of spectacle of yourselves than you already are."

Ethan pulls back. His eyes are very bright and he's smiling. "How about it, Benji?"

"One, it's Jimmy," Benji says. He wants to lick his lips to remind himself that what's happened just now really happened. "and two, absolutely. Lead the way."

Benji's not sure when kissing became short-hand for 'briefing in my room, five minutes' but he can pick up a hint, all right? He's very good at picking up hints.

 

All right, so maybe not _that_ good at picking up hints.

 

"Wait," Benji says, some indeterminate amount of time later, because he wants to be clear on this. "We really are here for a vacation?"

He feels a little sore and a little tired and a lot like he's had the most fantastic sex he's ever had in his life. Admittedly, his experiences up until now have been a bit limited, but still.

Ethan turns his head and groans into the pillow. They're very nice pillows.

"Would you like me to explain it to you again?" Ilsa asks. Her hair looks a bit mussed. Benji wants to reach out and muss it some more. "I could go into a bit more detail this time around."

Benji glances at Ethan.

"Give him a moment," Ilsa says. "I'm sure he'll join us once he's recovered."

"I heard that."

"Good. You were meant to."


End file.
